“Vote for Jamaat and You’ll Get My Dead Body,” Says Fajlur Rahman

Fajlur Rahman, a veteran freedom fighter and BNP candidate for Kishoreganj-4 (Itna, Mithamain, Austagram), has issued a stark warning to voters in his constituency, declaring that anyone supporting Jamaat-e-Islami would “get his dead body.”

The remarks were made on Friday afternoon (28 November) during a workers’ conference organised by the Itna Upazila BNP, its affiliate bodies, and allied organisations at Mriga Union. Rahman, speaking as the chief guest, sought to alert voters to the perceived threat posed by Jamaat-e-Islami and its allies to Bangladesh’s liberation legacy.

“I am a son of the people and one of those who fought for Bangladesh’s independence,” Rahman said. “When I see silence where there should be voices, when my party remains quiet, I have risked life and limb to declare: ‘These children of the collaborators, I am still alive.’ The Liberation War exists and will continue. If anyone attempts to destroy it, there will be another political battle with us.”

Rahman also recounted being subjected to repeated verbal attacks, saying, “Yesterday alone I endured more than a hundred rebukes. How can one tolerate that?” He criticised Jamaat for denying the historical significance of the 1971 Liberation War and misrepresenting its timeline.

Turning to his supporters, Rahman said: “I have been given a title — ‘Foja Pagla’ — by those who oppose freedom and the Liberation War. If they are elected, you will get my dead body. Will you vote for them? No, right?” The audience responded with a unified chorus of “No, no.”

Among those present at the conference were Rahman’s wife, Advocate Umme Kulsum Rekha, Aminul Islam Ratan, General Secretary of Kishoreganj District Bar Association, and various BNP leaders from Itna Upazila.